Charter Spectrum is joining Cox, AT&T/DirecTV, Comcast and numerous other cable and broadband providers in raising rates in the new year. Users in our Charter forum note the company's TV and broadband bundles will all see notable increases starting in 2018. But lest you place the blame entirely at the feet of broadcasters, Charter's also significantly raising prices pn the rates it charges to rent everything from digital adapters to DVR hardware.
For good measure, Charter execs are also jacking up the company's misleading "broadcast TV fee" (which lets the company falsely advertise a lower rate) from $7.50 per month to $8.85 per month.
This is of course on top of the rate hikes of up to 40% many users had already seen in the wake of Charter's $79 billion acquisition of Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks.
Needless to say, customers that were already angry over the company's botched handling of the merger aren't particularly pleased. That's especially true in Lexington, Kentucky, where locals were forced to have several unprecedented public meetings this year to address Charter's soaring prices and deteriorating customer service. Lexington Mayor Jim Gray in says he's more annoyed than ever by Charter's stranglehold over connectivity in the city.
"I’m outraged," Gray said. "This is the second rate hike for Spectrum’s cable subscribers in a single year. And considering Spectrum’s record of poor customer service, it just confirms my decision to bring competition and more options to Lexington for cable TV services along with high-speed internet."
In Lexington, basic Charter TV service will go from $15 to $20. Good Triple Play Premium will go from $129 to $139. While Better Triple Play Plus or Triple Play Plus will go from $149 to $159 and Best Triple Play Plus goes from $169 to $179. The city recently struck a deal with MetroNet to bring gigabit fiber competition to the city, but network doesn't begin until January, and the first customers aren't expected to go live until next summer.
Until then, locals will remain caught in the same cycle of paying an extremely unpopular company with horrible customer service more money for the same service.